Conference and meeting rooms are often configured with elongated rectangular tables. Such a setting may limit the ability of the participants to interface with other participants situated on the same side of the table. Moreover, such tables, which typically include a seat at the end of the table, or have seating on opposite sides of the table, may not be desirable in non-hierarchal and/or non-adversarial settings, for example when collaboration and team building is important. In addition, such tables are not readily adaptable to host or integrate telepresence participants, who are typically grouped on a single screen and allocated to one end of the table.
While round conference tables may satisfy some of these shortcomings by providing a more democratic setting, such tables present their own set of limitations. For example, round tables large enough to accommodate a relatively large group of participants have a large footprint that may be unappealing and feel cavernous for a smaller group. Typically, however, such tables either are not reconfigurable to a smaller footprint, or require complex and time consuming reconfiguration with the installation of various leaves and fillers. In addition, round tables also present problems for telepresence participants, with screens typically positioned either behind or between participants. In either case, the screens may interrupt and/or defeat the collaborative environment.